Dental trauma UK: saving injured teeth

I am writing to let your readers know about an exciting new charity – Dental Trauma UK – (www.dentaltrauma.co.uk) which was launched at the House of Lords on 7 November 2014.

Unfortunately, many people in the UK have their teeth knocked out – and many more suffer various fractures and displacement injuries. Sadly, these problems often occur as a result of unfortunate everyday accidents that can happen to anyone and are all too often regarded as trivial, even amusing, but are actually a cause of major distress and pain for these patients.

The care provided to these patients, sadly, is often less than optimal. A survey at King's College Hospital, where I work, revealed that, after suffering some dental trauma, 25% of victims claimed that they were unable to function (eat, drink, open and close mouth normally), while 50% were disabled by pain, stress and feelings of self-consciousness. This trend is probably reflected throughout the UK.